1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a personal skin care and cleansing implement containing a stable reactive skin care and cleansing composition.
2. Background of the Invention
Implements are frequently used to efficiently apply skin care and cleansing compositions and have included woven and nonwoven wipes, polymeric mesh bags and sponges to name a few widely used forms of implements. Consumers also desire to better visualize the effects of the cleansing and skin treatment. Prior art implements provided a signal for the simple depletion of a colored active substance via a decrease in color intensity as the active substance concentration in the implement decreased as a function of use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,632 titled Wiping Article, issued to Rowe et al. on Jan. 29, 1991 discloses a substantially dry-to-the-touch wiping article which is suitable for use in cleaning soiled surfaces in the presence of water, and that has a water absorbent substrate impregnated with a detergent active compound and sandwiched by a moisture barrier. The detergent active material or the moisture barrier can comprise a water-soluble dyestuff or colorant, the disappearance of which can signal exhaustion of the material.
Reactive systems have also been utilized to measure the change in concentration in an active substance. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,704 titled Impregnated Substrate Incorporating An Indicator Dye issued to A. Fellows on Jul. 1, 1987 discloses an impregnated fabric material that has been bonded to an active cationic impregnant, and an anionic indicator dye in combination with a further cationic component also applied to the fabric material, wherein the dye bonds to the second cationic component more readily than to the fabric The second cationic component competes with the impregnant for bonding to the dye. In the case of a wiping cloth, the dye acts as an indicator the disappearance of which indicates depletion of the active component with use.
The use of a porous or netted bag or pouch to carry soap is known. The prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 1,682,119 where a bag is provided with soap in a flake or fragment form. Similarly U.S. Pat. No. 2,607,940 discloses a mesh bag so that a soap can be easily inserted. Similar arrangements are taught in e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,167,805, U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,550, U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,834, U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,939, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,378. U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,262 teaches a soap holding cleaning pad. U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,842 discloses a cleansing system with a toilet bar and a sponge in a porous pouch. U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,288 teaches the use of a synthetic detergent bar and a pouf for holding the bar. JP Patent No. 10137152 also teaches a solid soap in an expansible net. However, the problem with prior art skin and hair care and cleansing implements is the lack of a system where a reaction between two components of the skin care and cleansing composition contained or absorbed by the implement or a reaction of one of its components and water can take place to cause a noticeable change for the consumer and that is optionally accompanied by one or more skin or hair benefits.
Surprisingly it has been found that a skin care and cleansing implement can be made having a skin care or cleansing composition releasably associated with the implement, where the composition may either be coated onto or held within internal pores of the implement, held within a pouch associated with the implement capable of dispensing a desired amount or where a portion of the pouch can dissolve or disintegrate and release the composition contained within it. The inventive composition has one or more reactive components that react either with each other or with water when water is added. This reaction may signify to the consumer that the skin care or cleansing composition releasably associated with the implement has been activated and is ready for further use. The reaction can be signified via a change in color, production of a gas (e.g. effervescence), activation of a warming or a cooling effect on the skin or another noticeable change in a physical property or appearance of the implement may occur. The lessening of the intensity of the color, effervescence, warming or cooling, etc. will signify to the consumer the transfer of the active or cleansing components to the skin and hair and ultimately the depletion of the activity of the implement.